Harnessing Data to Transform Food Access in Michigan

As an evaluation program manager at the Michigan Fitness Foundation (MFF), Bloomberg Fellow Jay Cutler is working to strengthen food access, nutrition education, and physical activity programs across the state. But to Cutler, the numbers he analyzes are never just statistics—they’re stories of resilience, innovation, and community impact.

At MFF, Cutler focuses on two major USDA-funded programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program. Together, these programs bring fresh, affordable food and nutrition education to communities while building healthier local food systems. As part of a seven-person team, Cutler’s role is to evaluate whether these efforts are making a difference. That means asking important questions: Are participants eating more fruits and vegetables? Are families able to stretch their food dollars further? What challenges are farmers and food vendors facing as they connect with community members?

To answer these questions, Cutler collaborates with the team to design surveys, run focus groups, crunch numbers in R, and turn raw data into insights that can help guide future programming. “I think that data are stories,” he explains. “It’s the job of evaluators to help communities tell their story in a way that’s clear and compelling.”

One program, Michigan Farm to Family: CSA, is an example of this work in action. Funded by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, the Program provides discounted community-supported agriculture produce shares to SNAP participants. Families gain access to fresh, local fruits and vegetables they might not otherwise afford. Through this programming, participants also learn how to prepare and store their produce to extend its shelf life. Cutler and the team help to evaluate the program’s effectiveness.

Through their analysis, Cutler and his colleagues found that this program may play a role in increasing vegetable consumption and food security. He also recalls one participant sharing that without the CSA program, they simply could not afford vegetables for their family. “It’s those stories of profound impact that stick with me,” Cutler says. “It’s a privilege to be able to tell these stories of folks’ lived experiences and continue to advocate for programs that support nutrition security and strong local food systems.”

By turning complex information into clear narratives, Cutler and the team help local partners understand their impact and share what they are accomplishing with others.

Evidence-based stories of impact are especially vital now. “It’s not business as usual,” says Sarah Panken, Senior Director of Community Impact at MFF. “Food and nutrition policies and programs are changing, and our organization is committed to serving the people who will be most impacted by these changes.” That's why studying whether and how programs work is as important as ever.

Tune in to the livestream of the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit on September 30, 2025 at 9a.m. ET to watch Jay speak live!